The Sunday Giveaway: 2 Tickets to Kander & Ebb’s The Visit!
It’s been called “one of the greatest musicals never to play New York” . . . and now, Kander and Ebb’s The Visit, starring Chita Rivera and John Cullum, will be presented in the city for one night only, thanks to our friends at The Actors Fund and The Vineyard Theatre.
And one of you is going to see it for free.
Here’s how you win:
Lots of plays and musicals have played all over the world to great acclaim but have never played The Great White Way (e.g. Children of Eden). Give me the name of the show that has yet to play the big city but should, and I’ll pick a random winner.
Good luck!
(Got a comment? I love ’em, so comment below! Email subscribers, click here, then scroll down, to say what’s on your mind!)
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Silence: The Musical
Senor Discretion Himself, by Frank Loesser
It’s also Kander and Ebb, and I’m familiar with the play it’s based on, so I’m intrigued, so I’d really like to see All About Us come to NYC for some sort of extended run.
Miss Spectacular, by Jerry Herman
Harmony – by Barry Manilow. Was ready for Broadway with Brian d’arcy James but the funding fell thru. 1920’s Germany, a singing group combined the physical humor of the Marx Brothers with musical sophistication of a singing group like our modern day Manhattan Transfer.
Noise Pollution: The Judofist Story
Busker Alley, which didn’t happen because Tommy Tune “broke his ankle”!
Direct from Chicago, “Outgoing Tide”.
Evening Primrose by Sondheim
Maury Yeston & Artg\hur Kopit’s PHANTOM. It simply did not make Broadway because a certain British import beat it to the boards. Yeston & Kopit wrote a sweeping score and most importantly, surpassed the need for spectacle with a need to tell a great story.
Mac Rogers’ “Universal Robots”! An epic sci-fi robot creation/genocide myth worthy of Broadway premium prices.
The Witches of Eastwick – saw it in London!
Martin Guerre – Boublil and Schönberg
Stephen Schwartz’s “The Baker’s Wife”
Spend Spend Spend
Matilda, the Musical (now a big fat hit on the West End)
Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella
“Not Wanted on the Voyage”
Gemini The Musical
Betty’s Summer Vacation by Christopher Durang
Swallows and Amazons, which was a theatrical adaptation of the Arthur Ransom book of the same name.
Oswego The Musical
Love Never Dies.
“The Fix” Always thought it should be produced during a presidential election year…
LEGENDS – by Jimmy Kirkwood.
Ducktastic– a parody of Siegfried and Roy’s Las Vegas Act, which substitutes ducks for tigers.
The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown!
BARE: A Pop Opera (Though I’ve heard rumors for a BWay run…?)
<3
Christmas Story
Calendar Girls, based on the film of the same name. Not exactly high art, but something to consider.
Baker’s Wife– needs another shot on Broadway
Donkeys’ Years–an amusing farce.
Matilda…Currently in London.
Honk! by Stiles and Drewe. This won the 2000 Olivier over Lion King and Mamma Mia.
Dirty Dancing, the musical version that played in London. Campy, yes, but oh so much fun if you’re a big fan of the movie! And it would probably make tons of money with all the tourists who love the movie!
My first thought was “The Museum” by Tina Howe, but it did play off Broadway so in the city.
FI that counts I will go with it but if it doesn’t, I really am curious to see Disney’s Aladdin starring James Monroe Iglehart from Memphis as the Genie and Courtney Reed as Jasmine
Martin Guerre
“The Confidence Man” by Jim Steinman and Ray Errol Fox, based on a Herman Melville novel. Can’t speak to the book, but the album is pretty exciting!
BAT BOY – THE MUSICAL. A show that could have possibly transferred to Broadway if it hadn’t been for the events of 9/11. This “little show that could” grew a vast fanbase and as word-of-mouth spread, and with the assistance of a cast album, it became a hugely successful show across all regions in the stock/amateur market.
JERRY SPRINGER – THE OPERA. The TV show is an American icon of the ’90s. Somehow – it was a hit overseas but never on Broadway?
I’ve always wanted to see the Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones musicalization of “Our Town” known as “Grover’s Corner” play the street. Was announced once with Mary Martin as the Stage Manager, but she dropped out after her cancer diagnosis. I can’t imagine any song writers doing a better job with the material.
I’m hoping that both may make it yet, after their extended out-of-town tours, so I vote Bring It On and A Christmas Story. Saw the latter in Seattle and just thinking about it still makes me smile.
“love Never Dies”..the Phantom sequel
Whistle Down the Wind. Never saw it but I liked the score. Tom
The Rhythm Club
GOD AND COUNTRY. It played at the Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago and should absolutely be on Bway!
Dear Mr. Davenport, et al:
I’d love to start on your turf, ‘Off-Broadway’ (499 seats) Then due to audience’s ‘over-whelming’ demand; we transfer to 500+ sets? On, ‘The Great White Way’ Please/Thank-You.
“Whitechapel” ©
The Life & Times
of:
‘Jack The Ripper’
A Musical Love Story! ™
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© Copyright 1996/2007
Bryan David/Brandon Kress
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That of course would be with your blessing -If you please Mr. Producer…
THE BAKER’S WIFE never made it to the Main Stem and should have. “Meadowlark” deserves to be heard on Broadway, not just in cabaret venues.
Tom:
I have the score. It is neither Lord Webber’s best not Lyricist, Jim Steiman’s best work either. (Yes ‘Meatloaf’s Jim Steiman’s!)Three great songs in the whole show. One man’s opinion!
Bryan David
Playwright & Lyricist
http://www.myspace.com/jacktheripperwhitechapel1888
Marguerite by Michel Legrand, Alain Boublil, Claude Michel Schonberg and Jonathan Kent
Shear Madness. So much fun! I saw it in San Francisco years ago. It’s played in Boston for a long time, and it’s now in D.C., but never in New York.
Since we are talking Chita Rivera here. How about the one she did 10 years ago in regional theatre and the West End, but never made it to Broadway:
“Casper, The Musical” – Book & Lyrics by Stephen Cole & David H. Bell. Music by Matthew Ward with additional music by Henry Marsh.
Since we are talking about the LEGENDARY Chita Rivera…how about one that she did 10 years ago in the West End and in regional theatre that never made it to Broadway:
“Casper, the Musical” – Book & Lyrics by Stephen Cole & David H. Bell. Music by Matthew Ward with additional music by Henry Marsh.
Martin Guerre by Boubil/Schoenberg
A British musical I saw in London years ago with the great Barbara Dickson called SPEND, SPEND, SPEND–great score and a very interesting story!
ACE, a musical by Robert Taylor and Richard Oberacker.
liberty smith
“The Fabulist”, book by Stephen Witkin, Music & Lyrics by David Spencer.
Just a note: many of these suggestions have already played ‘the big city’, just not Broadway. And, as has been proven repeatedly, some shows that come to life in front of 200 people die in front of 1000. (A case in point is in previews even as I write.)
Mark Ravenhill’s “Over There”.
It’s the best play I’ve ever personally attended and ideal for a nation in which so many people think their way is the right way. After the Royal Court’s production I wandered around for a couple of hours trying to figure out what my identity was made of and if capitalism has to consume everything else to survive?
Bare.
“THe Little Princess” which is, hands down, Andrew Lippa’s best score to date!
Saturday Night by Stephen Sondheim
Nunsense…with an all star rotating cast
Tango Magador by Kander and Ebb
Yeston/Kopit’s PHANTOM
“Anna Nicole,” the opera. It got (shockingly) rave reviews in London and would be a great commentary on the crisis of celebrity that’s currently occupying our nation. Broadway, are you listening? 🙂
Ace
Zhivago, the musical
Limelight
Bare, A Pop Opera
Jerry Springer the Opera
Breakfast Club- The Musical
“Midnight Madness” is my favorite. Cynthia Meryl wrote the book and lyrics, while Jack Bender provided the music and orchestrations. This adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is staged in the 1930’s. Jack Bender is one of the most talented young composers I have seen in a long time.
Two shows written by the same team that never played NY is:
The Fix and Witches of Eastwick. Both are Great shows and should be seen in NYC.
High School Musical
“Clybourne Park” hasn’t hit Broadway but it absolutely should.
As for a show never seen in NYC, what about Roy Williams’s “Sing Yer Heart Out For the Lads?”
Don’t know if Girl in the Goldfish Bowl has ever been produced in NYC. Was premiered in USA in Alexandria, Va. Written by Canadian playwright Morris Panych – wonderful piece !
the lord of the rings: the musical
Aladdin the musical!
The Last 5 Years- never on Bway!
“The Overcoat” – fantastic Canadian theater piece that uses music (Shostakovich), movement, mime, dance to tell the Gogol short story. Has played Canada, U.S., Europe, never New York. Work of genius.
Floyd Collins
How about “My Fairytale”
Lolita, My Love! The songs written for Dorothy Loudon’s character are unbeatable. And even if just for a night, audiences would die to see it.
Bare (although it was Off-Broadway and is hooopefully coming to Broadway soon!) or Ace!
LOVE NEVER DIES
Agreed – this is an excellent piece.
The Bakers Wife – Stephen Schwartz
Camille Claudel The Musical. Has some beautiful musical from Frank Wildhorn.
The Breath of Life by David Hare–missed opportunity with Maggie Smith and Judi Dench but still worth doing
Well a few of my choices were picked by others (Camille Claudel & Bring it On) One not mentioned that I thought for sure was headed to Broadway was Robin & the 7 Hoods. But the one I really really really want to see on Broadway is Bring it On. Go BIO, Go BIO, Gooooooo BIO!!! (Had to give it a cheer!)
Dave, when I lived in Toronto, I saw it twice (not even on press tix) and wrote a paper about it for a recently-completed M.A. in Educational Theater at NYU. I love it to death.
Would love to see Sir Andrew’s “The Beautiful Game” on Broadway. Saw it in London about 10 years ago — pre-9-11. Appreciated it then, but its theme of intolerance in a divided country would resonate much more in today’s environment.
Elisabeth by Sebastian Levay and Michael Kunze – if we can create hits out of Evita and Les Mis and Miss Saigon – then this score should definitely be on Broadway!
“Portrait of Jennie” – one of Brent Barret’s best – played off-Bwy should be on Bwy.
“The Shaker Chair” by Adam Bock is a wonderful full-length play which was done at the Humana Festival in Louisville but hasn’t had a New York premiere and I think it would do very well in an Off-Bway house. I was in a directing class and played the roe of “Dolly”. I found it to be a highly original and thought-provoking play with three great roles for women “of a certain age” and a live pig too. That’s not something you see every day. Not to mention the pig. In fact, if you’d care to read it and consider letting me play “Dolly”, I’ll help you produce it. I took Fred Vogel’s Commercial Theater Institute years ago.
William Finn’s ‘A New Brain’
I’ve always wondered why Stephen Schwartz’s CHILDREN OF EDEN hasn’t been presented on Broadway. Excellent music, universal stories, built-in audiences. Maybe a successful “Godspell” can inspire a Broadway production of CoE.
Bat Boy
Gone With the Wind, the Harold Rome musical — saw three times in London (1972) in a week and was bowled over by the music and lyrics, the cast and the sets, even the fire in Atlanta, with a live horse, cannot beat that, and the casting of June Ritchie, Harve Presnell, Bessie Love and Robert Swann was fantastic–know it was done in Los Angeles with Lesley Anne Warren and Pernell Roberts, but died there